KUANTAN: The Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) must utilise its emergency allocation to resolve Kuantan's water supply disruption problem, which may drag on until early next month.

Kuantan Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Nazahar said that the 800,000 residents in the district had been suffering water woes since Monday.

He pointed out that the problem not only affected residential areas but also strategic facilities like Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) and health clinics here.

He said that he had brought up the matter with DID and its director-general, Datuk Dr Md Nasir Md Noh.

"They need to use the emergency allocation. I believe that DID has this allocation that can be used to speed up repairs of the broken water barrier at Kobat Barrage Gate here.

"The water supply disruption and low water pressure in most areas (here) is caused by this problem (broken water barrier) and I was informed that only two out of four water pumps are operating at the moment," he said.

He was speaking to the media after handing over school aid to students at SMK Sungai Soi here today.

SMK Sungai Soi principal Wan Zulkefli Wan Hassan was also present at the event, which saw around 300 of the school's 716 students receiving aid from Hamid.

Hamid also announced an allocation of RM5,000 to the school to implement spiritual programmes.

The water supply problem was announced by Pengurusan Air Pahang Bhd (PAIP) via a statement issued on Monday.

The problem was expected to last between one and two weeks as repair works were conducted on the collapsed part of the Kobat Barrage Gate here.

Meanwhile, Hamid expressed hope that DID would resolve the problem soon as the Chinese community here would be celebrating Chinese New Year in February.

"This problem must be resolved quickly. Soon our friends from the Chinese community will celebrate Chinese New Year.

"It would be a hassle if the issue is not resolved by then as they are making preparations for their major celebration.

"Furthermore, we must also take into account the operators of restaurants, laundromats and members of the public who will face difficulties if the problem persists," he said.